Download Book Title - Computer Science

CSCI-235
Micro-Computer Applications
Application Software
Software
– All the programs that give the
computer its instructions
 Software

Two categories of software:
System software
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Application software
Application Software
 Application
software refers to programs
that enable the user to be productive when
using the computer
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Application Software
Personal Productivity
Internet
Word Processing
Web Browsers
Spreadsheets
E-Mail
Address Books
Multimedia/Graphics
Home/Education
Personal Finance
Desktop Publishing
Tax Preparation
Photo Editing
Reference
3D Rendering
Games
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Personal Productivity
Word
Processor
Spreadsheet
Database
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Word Processor
 Software
for creating text documents (e.g.,
Microsoft Word)
 More
sophisticated programs for creating
large documents (e.g., books) or
documents with lots of graphics (e.g.,
brochures) are often referred as Desktop
Publishing Software
 Most
modern word processors allow the
integration of graphics with text
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Text Editors
 A text
editor is a program that you can use
to create and modify files
 UNIX
systems typically offer a choice of
text editors of which the vi editor is the
most common
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Text Editors vs Word Processors

A text editor is not a word processor

A word processor typically does more than a text
editor. Besides adding text to a file, most word
processing programs allow you to control the
appearance of the text (e.g., paragraph styles,
typefaces, etc…) when it is printed

In contrast, a text editor does just that – edit text
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Spreadsheet
 Software
for working with numeric data,
calculations and graphing/charting (e.g.,
Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3)
 Modern
spreadsheets include lots of builtin analysis tools and functions
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Databases
 Software
that allows the creating of highly
structured containers for storing
information (e.g., Microsoft Access)
 Allows
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the user to perform queries
Presentation/Multimedia
 Software
that allows the user to combine
several data formats (e.g., text, audio,
video) to create presentations (e.g.,
Microsoft Powerpoint)
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Multimedia/Graphics
Desktop
Publishing
Photo
Editing
3D
Rendering
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Internet
Web
Browser
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E-mail
Home/Education
Personal
Finance
Tax
Preparation
Reference
Games
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Custom Software

Specifically tailored to an organization’s needs

Organization hires computer programmers to design,
write, test, and implement software

Can be extremely complex and take years to
write

Used for specialized fields



Billing programs
Inventory tracking programs
Point of Sale software
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Custom Software
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Software Suite

Individual applications share a common
program code

Popular office suites offer a word
processor, spreadsheet, database,
presentation, and other programs
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System Requirements
Sample Minimum System Requirements
•
•
IBM compatible PC with a 486 PC processor or better
(Pentium® recommended)
Microsoft Windows® 95
12 MB RAM (16 MB recommended)
Hard disk space (standard installation approx. 100 MB)
CD-ROM drive (2x or better)
•
Mouse or other pointing device
•
•
•

System requirements refers to the minimum level of
equipment needed to run a program
Platform– PC or MAC
 Microprocessor
 Drive– 3.5 Floppy or CD-ROM
 RAM
 Available hard disk space

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Software Version

Software producers include a version number with their
products

Version numbers identify the release of the program being
used

Recent releases have numbers greater than earlier releases
(Recent Ver. 6.0; Earlier Ver. 1.0)

Whole numbers are major revisions (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.)
Decimal numbers refer to maintenance releases or updates
and
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Inc fixes (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.)

Software Upgrades
 Software
upgrading is the process of
keeping the application program current
 Types


of upgrades:
Patch – Small changes in the program
Service release – Major changes in the
program
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Software Licenses and Registration

A software license gives the user the right to
install and use the program on one computer

Organizations purchase a site license to
install a program on many computers
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Types of software

Most computer software is copyrighted
 Software piracy – Infringing on a program’s copyright
 Copyrighted software cannot be:
• Copied
• Altered
• Used on more than one computer

Types of copyrighted software:





Commercial – Buy before using it
Shareware – Try it before you buy it
Freeware – Free software, but it can’t be copied and/or sold
Public domain software is not copyrighted. There are no
restrictions on using, copying, altering, or selling the
software
http://www.tucows.com
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Installing and Managing
Application Software
 Install



the software on the hard drive
Installation utilities guide you through the
process
Installation changes the registry of the
operating system
Use an uninstall utility to remove a
program from the hard drive
 Do not just delete a program from your files
Example
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Intelligent Software?
 The
field of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
attempts to build intelligent entities
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Artificial Intelligence

AI is one of the newest sciences (1956)
(McCarthy)

A truly universal field






learning and perception
playing chess
proving mathematical theorems
writing poetry
etc …
Still has openings for several full-time Einsteins
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How would we decide whether a
computer is intelligent?
 The
Turing Test (Alan Turing, 1950)
 Eliza

http://www.manifestation.com/neurotoys/eliza.php3
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The Turing Test

Proposed by Alan Turing (1950) (the father of AI)
 Based on indistinguishability from undeniably
intelligent entities (i.e., we)
 Is a computer that passes the test really
intelligent?
 Programming a computer to pass the test
provides plenty to work on




Natural Language Processing
Knowledge Representation
Automated Reasoning
Machine Learning
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Acting Humanly: The Turing Test

Today, AI researchers devote little effort to
passing the test
 More important to study underlying principles of
intelligence
 Turing Test suggested major components of AI






Natural Language Processing
Knowledge Representation
Automated Reasoning
Machine Learning
Computer Vision
Robotics
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AI in the 21st century






AI is everywhere
Fuzzy logic is used in elevators, washing
machines, cars
Intelligent agents are used in many software
applications
Robots explore other worlds, and toy robots play
with children (and with some adults)
Expert systems diagnose diseases recommend
cures
Computer games use AI
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State of the Art

Which of the following can be done at present?










Play a decent game of table tennis
Driving in the center of Cairo
Buying a week’s worth of groceries at the market
Buying a week’s worth of groceries on the web
Playing a decent game of bridge at a competitive
level
Discovering and proving new mathematical theorems
Writing an intentionally funny story
Giving competent legal advice in a specialized area of
law
Translating spoken English into spoken Swedish in
real time
Performing a complex surgical operation
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